Slice and Bite
by amyisbad
Summary: Bella Swan has had a tough life, filled with pain and hardship. Now she needs to find it in herself to fight for her life and try to make it in a harsh world. Rated M for a reason.


Slice and Bite

Chapter 1

Her long pale fingers trembled as she flicked off the ash. She had no money, no home and for all intents and purposes she was a dead woman walking. If only she hadn't picked that particular day at that particular time to go down that street, things might have turned out differently.

"_Hey dyke, don't look at me like that. It makes me feel like you don't want me. And we both know that's not true." Of all the people she could've run into on an already terrible day, it had to be Bradley. Probably one of the biggest, meanest bastards to ever walk this world, he had a knack for hassling her ever since he had found out about her sexual orientation. He seemed to think that god put him on earth to follow her around and make her already pitiful existence even more miserable. _

"…_Yeah, what's that big boy? You gonna show off in front of your girlfriends here? Or is it just that this is the only way for you to get any female attention?" Bella had always prided herself on her wit. It was probably the only thing in the world that she could call her own. Little help that would do her now against his gang of sickos. _

"_Maybe. Maybe I just thought that you might be able keep me warm on such a cold night." He pretended to rub his arms as if he could feel the cold under the nice coat he was wearing. Perhaps the worst thing of all about old Brad, was the fact that he wasn't stupid. With his good looks and intelligence he could have been picking up co-eds if he wanted to instead of messing with street trash. _

"_Listen you know what happens if you go through with this. My people will come looking for you. They'll put you in the ground. Don't be an idiot." Bella knew even before he opened that big mouth of his that her bluff wouldn't work. The vicious twinkle in his gray eyes always gave him away. _

_That fucking grin. "Yeah? Your people, huh? The same people who kicked you out of that disgusting half-way house? Those people? Cause, the way I hear it, little lost Miss Swan is all on her lonesome." _

_She hated him so much. But if she was going to make it out alive, she needed to think fast. They had formed a circle around her by then and she was quickly running out of time. There had to be at least a dozen of them, all decked out in black leather and chains. Under any other circumstance she might have paid more attention, but her heart was beating erratically, practically bursting out of her chest. Struggled gasps of breath betrayed how scared she was. _

"_Can you really afford the heat? I heard the cops were already for you after that shit job you pulled on that jewelry store. Are you gonna add rape to that list?" _

_After every single word his smile got impossibly wider. "It's not rape if it's consensual, now is it?" _

_The circle grew tighter around her. _

_She never should've left the shelter. But now there was only one thing left for her to do. Bella was many things, but a coward she was not._

_She could smell him just with those few feet left between them. Not once did she even consider submitting. It wasn't in her nature._

_When he came for her she was determined to not go down without a fight. Maybe she could even mess up that ridiculously handsome jaw of his. _

_In the end though there were too many of them and she was all on her own. _

When she'd woken up the first thing that she noticed was the biting frost. It made her dizzy. With great difficulty she had just managed to blink her eyes open. In the dark she could hardly make out her surroundings. The dark alley had been deserted. Surely they could have killed her. Why had they left her then? She'd lost consciousness at some point. Questions without answers swirled around in her head. No one got away with speaking up against someone like Bradley. There were only so many times he could let her comments slide; that was just the world they lived in. The more she turned him down, the weaker he looked. Bella had known that this was coming, but to actually have it happen after months of looking over her shoulder was liberating in a twisted sort of way.

After a few more tries she finally pushed herself onto her knees and surveyed the area. Some of the blood in the snow came from him but most of it was her own. The dark alley was completely dark save for a small sliver of light that shined in from the light on the highway. With her last ounce of strength she slowly limped back towards the shelter. She refused to call it a home; that was a word reserved for places of warmth and love.

She sat with her back up against the cold concrete of the old dilapidated building, cradling her head with both of her bruised and battered hands. The winter wind whipped against her blowing her hair all over the place making it difficult for her to see. Malnourishment had begun to set in making her appear like something less than human, more of an apparition really that could be blown away by the slightest gust of wind. After a moment's hesitation she pulled out a pack of Lucky Strikes, her favorite brand of cigarettes that she'd stolen from the convenience store around the corner just before the confrontation. Bella wasn't even sure if she was shivering from the cold or from her little encounter.

As she sat there licking her wounds, Bella came to a startling and terrifying realization.

If she stuck around any longer she would either die from the cold or the hunger, or Brad and his gang would come back for more. Sitting on those front steps, Bella had a choice to make. She couldn't know if things would get better somewhere else, but then again how could they possibly get any worse?

She never thought of herself as a religious person. But in that moment Bella Swan prayed for the first time in her life. She prayed for safety and a better life. She prayed that she could make it through another day in this unforgiving world.

After collecting herself emotionally she stood up slowly on shaky legs, flicked the cigarette away and slung her pack over her shoulders. First things first she needed to clean up, so she as least didn't look like she'd been worked over by a band of thugs.

The nearest place with a clean restroom was an old fast food joint that perpetually smelled of grease and fried food.

With her hood pulled she snuck past the cash registers and into the bathroom. Using some stolen wet wipes and rubbing alcohol she managed to get most of the blood off of her skin. She had to get rid of the clothes of course, since they couldn't be salvaged, leaving her with only one pair of pants, a tank top and a hoody. When she exited the stall she cast one look at the mirror before quickly looking away. Those sunken eyes and lost expression were too painful to look at.

With one last sigh she kicked open the door and started walking into the cold night.

**I want to dedicate this first chapter to Ellwyndara, who helped me get back to writing after some very difficult times. She is a truly remarkable person. Other than that, depending on how well this is received I'll write more. **


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